Koyannisqatsi Film Techniques

The film Koyannisqatsi (1983) had opened the public’s eyes to the possibility of extensive time-lapse cinematography and the non- verbal style of filmmaking. Filmmakers such as Frances’ Jean Painleve made similar films before but nothing had been made such as Koyannisqatsi (1983). The other films where similar but made more towards the experimental film audiences. Godfrey Reggio the director of Koyannisqatsi (1983) and Ron Fricke the cinematographer showed how the modern world was moving from a natural environment to a society occupied and controlled by technology. The film is known for two main things besides its message about technology: 1) its use of time lapse cinematography which was ground breaking and 2) its use of non-verbal style which no actors, or linear narrative structure. Koyannisqatsi is Reggio’s first film that he directed, he had also worked on various other community and educational projects after spending his early years in a monastery.
The music was designed in a way that it takes the viewers on a powerful and lyrical journey. In the non-verbal genre music plays a very important part along with imagery to create an emotional connection and a reaction to the film without the use of narration. Other films in this genre have been very successful such as Winged Migration (2001), Microcosmos (1996), Atlantis (1991), Baraka (1992) and Samsara (2011). The films are of similar genre but the first three films focus more on the natural phenomenon of animals. The rest Baraka and Samsara focus mainly on the human connection to the eternal involving a strong connection to the natural